Free hotspots now on loan through Monterey County Free Libraries.

Students and others in need of Wi-Fi may borrow hotspots with free high-speed internet access as easily as taking a book home from the library, thanks to a loan of 300 hotspots from the city of Gonzales to the Monterey County Health Department.

The hotspots are now available for checkout through the Monterey County Free Libraries through Feb. 20, 2021.

“We want to make this easy, we want to get this to people’s hands so it can serve to students in our county,” County Library Director Hillary Theyer says.

The city of Gonzales started an initiative called Internet for All initiative back in October 2019 (before the pandemic) in partnership with T-Mobile. They received 2,000 hotspots for Gonzales’ residents. Any family with at least one member attending school was eligible to receive a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot with free high-speed access.

After the city shared the devices with its residents, as well as families from neighboring Chualar, hundreds were left and officials decided to reach families from other parts of the county who don’t have internet. 

The program is focused mainly on providing access to online learning but no one will be turned away. “The program was built to ensure that people even affected by Covid have access,” says Carmen Gil, director of community engagement for the city of Gonzales.

The city still has some hotspots available for its residents. To get one, people need a city address or proof their kids attend school in Gonzales. 

The hotspots for loan to county residents will be available at all MCFL branches and residents must have a library card for checkout. If they don’t have one they can apply for one at emcfl.org or by calling branches directly.